Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 2005 Building a Place of Worship: The Journey of the Downsview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Toronto Kenneth Roy Campbell Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Campbell, Kenneth Roy, "Building a Place of Worship: The Journey of the Downsview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Toronto" (2005). Dissertation Projects DMin. 692. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/692 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT BUILDING A PLACE OF WORSHIP: THE JOURNEY OF THE DOWNSVIEW SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN TORONTO by Kenneth Roy Campbell Adviser: Clifford Jones ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: BUILDING A PLACE OF WORSHIP: THE JOURNEY OF THE DOWNSVIEW SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN TORONTO Name of researcher: Kenneth Roy Campbell Name and degree of faculty adviser: Clifford Jones, D.Min., Ph.D. Date completed: August 2005 Purpose The purpose of this dissertation is to outline the process of constructing a new place of worship for the Downsview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Toronto, Canada. It can also serve to help other church congregations design and build appropriate places of worship. Problem The Downsview Church had been renting worship space for more than sixteen years. The use of rented space made fulfilling the mission of the church difficult for a variety of reasons. A new physical place of worship for the church was essential. Method In this dissertation, I examine biblical and theological principles for building places of worship, focusing especially on Bible texts and the writings of Ellen G. White. I also examine current literature on the proper management of church building projects. I outline how these theoretical and practical resources were used to guide the Downsview Church construction project. The Results My experience in implementing the church-building model developed here has led to the identification of a set of recommendations to guide congregations undertaking building plans. These recommendations focused on both the planning of construction projects and their implementation. Conclusion When rooted in appropriate theological and biblical principles, church-building projects can be very effective and are, in principle, replicable. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary BUILDING A PLACE OF WORSHIP: THE JOURNEY OF THE DOWNSVIEW SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN TORONTO A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Kenneth Roy Campbell August 2005 BUILDING A PLACE OF WORSHIP: THE JOURNEY OF THE DOWNSVIEW SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN TORONTO A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor o f Ministry by Kenneth Roy Campbell Skip Bell Dean, SDA Theological Seminary John McVay Auaus-i- cZOOS' Third Header Date approved Skip Bell This dissertation is dedicated first to the glory of God, then to my wife, Velma, and my sons, Kenroy, Christopher, and Andre. in TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Dissertation.........................................................................1 Background to the Problem........................................................................1 Problem.......................................................................................................4 Overview of the Dissertation ..................................................................... 5 Limitations of the Dissertation ................................................................... 6 Justification for This Dissertation..............................................................6 2. BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR CHURCH BUILDING.......................................................................................................... 7 Old Testament Principles for Church Building ........................................ 7 The Building of Noah’s A rk ................................................................ 8 The Building of the Hebrew Sanctuary ............................................. 13 The Building of Solomon’s Temple..................................................22 Summary.............................................................................................24 New Testament Principles for Church Building ..................................... 24 Principles from Ellen G. White on Building a Place of Worship ......... 32 Summary and Conclusions...................................................................... 44 3. THE HISTORY OF THE DOWNSVIEW SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH........................................................................................................... 46 Geographic, Economic, and Cultural Profile of the Church’s Community......................................................................... 46 The Early Beginnings and Trends of the Church (1979 to 1994) .......... 49 The Period of Church Building and Evangelism (1994-2004) ...............54 The Plan to Build................................................................................55 The Strategic Plan for a New Church Building.................................59 Church Growth and Evangelism..................................................62 Church Building...........................................................................63 Training and Equipping Church Leaders.....................................63 Church Finance.............................................................................69 IV Communicating the Vision to Church Members .............................. 69 Summary...................................................................................................76 4. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR BUILDING A PLACE OF WORSHIP................77 The Management Strategy....................................................................... 78 The Right Location for the Church Building...........................................81 Details of the Sites under Consideration............................................82 Important Issues to Consider When Selecting Location ................... 85 The Building Strategy.............................................................................. 88 The Committee Approach...................................................................88 Formulation of the Building Strategy................................................89 Financial Strategy for Construction of the New Sanctuary....................91 Building Committee Report ............................................................... 92 The Experts Involved in the Building Process...................................99 Summary................................................................................................. 105 5. THE BUILDING DESIGN, PROCESS, AND COMPONENTS................. 108 Overview of the Building Design .......................................................... 109 Theological Considerations..............................................................109 Designing Interior and External Space............................................ I ll Deciding on Structure and Location ................................................ 116 Narration of the Building Process .......................................................... 118 Steps Leading to Beginning of Construction...................................118 Designing the New Sanctuary.......................................................... 125 Estimating the Cost of the New Building ........................................127 Launching the Project.............................................................................128 Building Begins................................................................................130 Division of the Site...........................................................................132 The Structure..................................................................................... 133 Plumbing, Drainage, Heating, Light, and Ventilation .................... 136 Safety Precautions.............................................................................138 Conflicts and Possibilities.................................................................139 Summary................................................................................................. 142 6. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 144 Summary and Conclusions.....................................................................144 Recommendations...................................................................................147 Appendix A. PREPARATION OF THE CHURCH: AN APPEAL TO THE MEMBERS TO BUILD A PLACE OF WORSHIP...........................................................150